Brazil's Undisputed Superstar? Neymar Jr's Global Tournament Race Against Time
As Ousmane Dembele claimed the 2025 Ballon d'Or in late September, the Brazilian sensation was lying in bed for his latest physical setback of the year - simultaneously engaging in an virtual card tournament.
The 33-year-old football star ultimately finished as second place, earning around seventy-three thousand pounds in prize money.
It was partial comfort on a day when he had to observe the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona claim the award he had consistently dreamed to win.
Since returning to his boyhood club Santos in the new year, the experienced attacker has failed to live up to expectations, attracting more attention for similar incidents than for his football.
His homecoming after 12 seasons away was meant to be a chance for him to regain his form and, most importantly, restore a love of football that seemed diminished after disappointing periods with Paris St-Germain and Al Hilal.
Conversely, it has been generally unsatisfactory for everyone concerned.
This reflects the situation that the primary concern being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will make it to the 2026 World Cup.
He's running out of time.
"All players have to demonstrate that they are fit. The clock is ticking [for him]," 1970 World Cup-winner Tostao wrote in his regular feature.
On midweek, Brazil head coach the Italian tactician revealed his squad for the forthcoming matches against Korea Republic and the Asian nation and, yet again, Neymar was not in it.
"O Principe", as he was nicknamed when received at Santos in a reference to the king Pele, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been absent from the national team for 24 months.
He also remains an injury doubt for the autumn fixtures, which, in the worst scenario, will leave him with just a pair of friendly matches in spring 2026 to demonstrate his worth to Ancelotti before the revealing of the final list for the World Cup.
"For 15 years, Neymar was Brazil's clear standout, carrying huge responsibility on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu remarked.
"But no one wins the World Cup single-handedly. Putting all our expectations on him at the moment is difficult because he finds it hard to even play three games in a row."
'If Neymar is left out for technical reasons, something isn't right'
Not just has Neymar had various physical concerns since his homecoming - he's missed nearly half of Santos' matches this campaign - but, when he was able to play, he was a distant from the player who during his zenith dared to challenge Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Of his nine goal contributions so far, five have come against teams from divisions below Brazil's top flight - a scoring contribution against a lower-league side, followed by a three goal involvements versus another lower-division opponent, all in the Sao Paulo State Championship.
As Santos battle against demotion in the Brazilian first tier, the number 10 no longer seems to be the decisive factor he previously represented.
Despite that, Ancelotti has insisted that the forward has sufficient months to show he is fit for the World Cup.
"His goal must be to be ready in June. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in autumn, late autumn or March," the Italian told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti created local discussion last month by allegedly attempting to protect Neymar, stating the star had been excluded from the team over fitness concerns.
But then Neymar himself disputed it, saying he "was excluded for tactical decisions; it has no connection to my physical condition."
In terms of popular view, it undoubtedly worsened the situation for Neymar.
"If the player we have pinned our dreams on to win the World Cup is left out for performance issues, obviously something isn't right," Cafu commented.
Can Neymar follow Ronaldo's 2002 example?
Studies from a leading polling institute found that Brazilians are split over whether Neymar should be included for his next global tournament.
With his 79 goals, Neymar is Brazil's historical leading marksman, but he hasn't improved his situation much with his in-game attitude either.
He seems increased agitation than usual, having confronted fans multiple times in stadiums - it happened in three consecutive matches in mid-year.
The following month, the forward was emotional after Santos endured a 6-0 home defeat by Vasco da Gama - the worst result of his career.
When questioned by a journalist about his fitness condition in a post-match interview, he became frustrated: "Again with this, mate? I've answered this 500 times already."
The identical inquiry has been posed to his parent representative Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's plan was to spend a limited period at Santos. To what end? To recover. If Neymar was able to feature, amen," he earlier stated, causing outrage among fans.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's prime period remain possible and that he will be able to resurrect his form the same way forward Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in 2002 to overcome criticism and physical setbacks to lead Brazil to the World Cup title.
The Brazilian great observes comparisons.
"He's a crucial player for Brazil - there's no one else like Neymar," Ronaldo declared during a recent appearance with the forward in the Brazilian city.
"It's an misrepresentation from a small group who believe he's disregarding his physical recovery.
Anyone who have been in football understand completely how difficult it is to come back from an injury and regain rhythm and confidence. He's progressing well."
The Santos star has a critical period ahead to prove that he's not the prince who abandoned the throne.
